Weekly Roundups

Weekly Roundup (9/19 - 9/23)

By Susannah Young

Last weekend, I made a lot of barbecue. Real-ass barbecue. And listened to John Prine (it seemed the most appropriate soundtrack). When I wasn't indulging in meat and meaty folk (how's that for some disgusting figurative language), here's what I was bumping on Epitonic.

Kurt Vile "The Creature": "The Creature" comes from Kurt Vile's So Outta Reach EP, five songs recorded during the sessions for January's rightfully drooled-over full-length Smoke Ring for My Halo. Not three seconds in, it's pretty evident this song is 100% Kurt Vile circa 2011, the ambient effects pushed aside in favor of acoustic fingerpicking that achieves the same hypnotic aim.

My Brightest Diamond "Be Brave (Prefuse 73 Remix)": Prefuse 73 gives Shara Worden's ambling "Be Brave" a work-over, hacking it to bits and rebuilding it with ample echo. It's typically not my favorite kind of remix, but this re-imagining works pretty well for this particular song -- especially on the strings-tinged chorus when Worden rips off the fetters and really belts it out.

Amy LaVere "Railroad Boy (Died of Love)": I was lucky enough to be living in Memphis when Amy LaVere jumpstarted her career, so it's great to see her getting traction outside the mid-South. Over the course of her career, she's gradually turned her sound into more and more of an Americana grab-bag, pulling choice tropes from Appalachian ballads, modern country music, gypsy jazz, and a host of other genres. Her voice is perhaps her greatest asset as an artist; it's simultaneously girlish and smoky, coy and guileless -- and she uses it particularly well on the thrumming ballad "Railroad Boy (Died of Love)", a live cut from one of our Epitonic/saki sessions.

Atlas Sound "Te Amo": Bradford Cox is both wildly prolific and wildly talented -- and although I gravitate a bit more toward his work with Deerhunter, "Te Amo" hits a weirdly compelling spot between electronica and something akin to lush Muzak. While I realize that doesn't exactly sound appealing, in Cox's capable hands it's pretty magical.

Terius Nash "Rolex (ft. Casha)": Although I prefer the over the top panty-melting music Nash makes under his The-Dream alias, 1977 (the breakup album Nash made under his given name) has its fair share of jams. The tracks featuring Casha are especially excellent. Go make it rain this weekend!